I was doing Adkins really well for awhile but finally just couldn't take it. While on the diet I lost much of my stomach which is my BIG trouble area. My legs and arms are toooo skinny anyway so when my belly is fat, I look like a pumkin on stilts. Now that I've been off the diet my stomach is slowly coming back but my arms and legs are still thin.

This is what hurts:
A friend of mine told me a couple of months ago that I was getting to skinny! I told her I wasn't doing Adkins anymore and too not worry about it. BTW, this friend is overweight herself but all over, not just in one place.
Then this last weekend a friend of mine that I haven't seen in 8 years came to visit. We went shopping together and talked about how hard it was to find shirts that didn't show our belly fat. She to is overweight all over. Later this friend got real serious and said I wasn't "normal" looking. That is was abnormal for me to gain weight in my stomach but not anywhere else. She thinks something is wrong with me!
It hurt my feelings of course and then I told the other friend, mentioned above, what she had said and she didn't come to my defense but agreed! She even said I looked anorexia! That my belly was big from me not eating! What??? That is tooo crazy cause I do eat but not the right things these days like CARBS.

Needless to say my feelings are so hurt. I have been built this way all my life and have always hated it thus all the dieting through out my life. Now I feel like a freak!!

My husband who of course knows my body better then anyone else says that I'm fine. That my belly isn't even as big as it was before Adkins. Even so my self esteem is shot! I'm even afraid to ask anyone else what they think because I'm afraid they too will say I look abnormal!

I don't even know why I'm posting this but it's something I can't get off my mind. I even made a doctor's appt. to see if there is indeed something wrong with me. That will be on Thursday.

Does anyone else here have this problem? Of all your weight gain goes to your middle?

Also, I am short and short waisted and have a large rib cage. It seems I'm all upper belly fat as I can still wear a size 5 pants but need a large loose fitting top. Does this make sense?

Sorry for the long long post but I would appreciate any feedback. Right now I'm so depressed that I don't even want to get dressed or go anywhere.

Thanks for listening!

Most likely, your "friends " are just plain jealous, and either aren't aware of it or won't admit it! You know the best weight for your build and height. You can always mention to them that you have simply adopted a "healthier eating plan" and just leave it at that. If they persist, mention that you can now fit into your old clothes, or else just get some new friends!

Shrug it off, girl!! I know, easier said than done, but it's the way to go! Sounds almost like your friends suffer from 'foot in mouth' disease.

This may sound weird, but I wonder if you being 'rounder' (for lack of a better word) in the middle is due in part to carb bloat. I have a friend that is built similarly to you and they get a distended looking belly from eating carbage. When they knock it off an eat healthy, it eventually returns to a flatter shape. Who knows? All that's important is you- how you feel, how you perceive yourself, etc.

Keep your chin up and keep on going!

Nikki

Thanks for the reply Jannie. The thing is, I'm NOT eating better...not now anyway. Thus the weight coming back.
And these two so called friends are saying the weight on me, in my stomach looks abnormal on me with thin arms and legs.
My hubby said that too...that they are jealous. Cause they are both very overweight where I'm only slightly "fat". And yep, with friends like them who needs enemies?

Something people need to realize is that we're all built differently. Some of us gain in our bellies and some, like me, gain in our butts.
If your Dr. gives you a clean bill of health, tell your friends to lay off.
My best friend was built like you, skinny legs and arms and large middle and rib cage.
115 seems like a good weight for your height. You probably shouldn't lose any more but be careful junk foods.

Thanks so much Barb and Tigger. Both of your post make me feel better. And that's what I'm thinking too, that eating carbs again is what is causing the belly gain. Plus I still eat eggs, bacon, cheese etc like on Adkins but I'm also eating things like pasta again and deep fried breaded food (hubby's fault) which cannot possibly be a good thing for my health!! I've got to get my eating habits together or I may well get even fatter then ever before. That is one thing I will talk about with the doctor. I'm not sure Adkins is for me so maybe I can come up with something else.
Thanks guys!!
I'm starting to feel better.

Hey you - one lovely thing about women (among the many) is that we tend to lose from our stomachs fairly easily (compared to the lower half!)

Your friends sound like they are dying to have something to pick on you about, b/c they probably are a little jealous - even if they don't know it!

I have tiny arms/shoulders/waist, fairly skinny legs, but no one has yet said 'dang, your a&* is big compared to the rest of you!' I pity the fool that goes there!

Hey Tiffy,
Me and my best friend are built like you. We both carry all our weight in our bellies. So, like you said, people worry I'm dieting because I hide things well.

Actually Orzabelle, for us it's the opposite (me & my friend anyway) our belly is the hardest and last thing to go. I don't have a big rear no matter how much I weigh! Barely any hips... (also, thanks for the avatar compliment :blush

Have you seen The Schwarzbein Principle? She says that women like us (there are plenty of men like this!) are displaying our insulin meter around our waist. I totally believe it. I recommend the book and the FABULOUS cookbook.

As far as your friends go, I don't think it is uncommon for someone who is overweight to think they can say anything to someone who isn't (regarding weight, I mean). I get that from my relatives all the time. I wouldn't necessarily write them off. The Atkins plan does seem extreme to the uninformed, especially for someone who weighs only 115lbs. I think it wasn't very tactful to say she thought you were "abnormal" but maybe she was truly concerned if she is indeed a friend - that isn't an easy thing to do with such a sensitive topic. Her concern seems to have been misguided, if well meaning.

My advice (WHO ASKED?!?, she says) is to get off the nasty junk and start back doing what you should be doing so you'll feel better. This too shall pass...

Jinx

Friends can be so single minded that way. My girlfriend puts down Atkins because IT WORKS FOR ME.. and her plan doesn't work for her, although she does have a lot more to lose than I do. Love her to death, but I don't talk to her about my WOL anymore. A lot of us came here and started this approach to dieting because of low-self esteem. It doesn't help when you're starting to regain some, and someone knocks you back down. That just vexes me!

So here's the thing... if they aren't supportive, for their own personal reasons, then don't share your WOL with them. Do your own thing... feel good about yourself in your own way, the mirror, the measuring tape, and hubby of course! I don't think there is anything wrong... you're built differently, as we all are, and may have to concentrate on your belly more than other places. Another good thing to do is to build up your arms and legs.. do exercises that will build muscle mass. You'll still look lean, but in a curvy and fun way, and your belly area won't stand out as much. And if all else fails.. you can use those new muscles to straighten up those girls!!

What a lovely way to put it! Curvy=fun!!!

I am a typical guy that went from thin to having beer belly. All my weight gain was most apparant in my belly and face. I have always had thin arms and legs even when I gained the weight. So when I lost the weight with Atkins my belly went flat and my face thined out bigtime! So I was at a friend's and they said gary are you still losing weight? I asked why and they replied well you are starting to look unhealthy - look at how skinny your arms are!

Well my arms are skinny if I gain or lose weight - they are just plain skinny! And everybody thinks my skinny arms look better with a flat tummy! So please get back on that low carb eating and lose that tummy! Doesn't seem there is anything wrong with your body type. Please enjoy and good luck!

The main reason I decided I needed to do something about my weight is that I seemed to be packing it on in the waist area and not as much everwhere else. My concern was that I had read that visceral fat in the belly area was a possible sign of becoming insulin resistant/pre-diabetic. Scared the heck outta me ! Something to consider.

I've learned that there are people who claim to be a friend who somehow get some sort of satisfaction from tearing you down . These people are not your friends. If they were they would never say such things. I'll tell you what has helped many people with the tummy and that is pilates. Go buy a pilates tape.. it's a gently way of lengthing your muscles and it feels so great and relaxing! We all come in different shapes and sizes and I believe your friends are jealous! I have a very heavy friend who told me this diet was unhealthy and I was gonna kill myself. My response was .. "Stuffing your face with little debbie cakes is gonna kill YOU,but YOU don't stop doing it!" She shut up right then. It was harsh yes,but she has NEVER insulted my WOL again! Take care and don't let others get you down! Get back on the low carb wagon.. maybe go into maintenance phase if you want to stay at your weight.. do some pilates.. you'll slim that tummy! And you know what? You can't please everyone and people will still try to bring negativity into your life. But you are in CONTROL and can learn to let it all roll off your back! Take care and god bless!

I was a really skinny little kid with scrawny arms and legs and a pot belly for as long as I can remember. Short waisted, rib cage I felt was grotesquely huge. My sister, bless her heart, said I looked like a marshmallow with toothpicks stuck in it. Now, that'll stay with you! Even when I lose everywhere else, above and below, that damn belly butter hangs on. And if I eat even the least bit of wheat, bloat it goes!